Jack Wilshere reveals his final conversation with Unai Emery that forced him out of Arsenal

Midfielder Jack Wilshere has opened up on his Arsenal exit. (Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

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Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has recalled the moment he decided that it was time to leave the Emirates Stadium.

The 28-year-old brought his 17-year spell with the Gunners to an end in July 2018 after not putting pen to paper on a new deal with the club.

The central-midfielder, who has often struggled with injury woes right throughout his career, then joined Arsenal's London rivals West Ham United on a three-year deal, with the hope that new surroundings would kick-start his career, which had shown so much promise at the start, once again.

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But once again, Wilshere's injury curse struck. He missed almost all of the 2018/19 campaign with an ankle injury and was restricted to just eight Premier League appearances for the Hammers.

It has been a similar tale for the former Bolton Wanderers loanee this season as well, as a groin injury, which he suffered back in October, has seen his campaign, so far, consist of just eight outings in league and cup.

Now, Wilshere has opened up on his exit from the Emirates Stadium and just how close he was to staying at the club until former manager Arsene Wenger announced he was to leave the club at the end of the 2017/18 season.

"I got offered a new deal at Arsenal," Wilshere told the club's official club website. "I obviously had a year left and even into January I was playing in the team and there were still no discussions happening.

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"Then finally the discussions happened. I got offered a new deal and I wasn't really happy with it.

"I'd have conversations with Arsene and he was doing all he could for me. We sort of got to the point where we'd almost agreed it and I was almost ready to sign.

“Then the news came that Arsene was leaving and I just thought: 'How can I sign a new deal at a club that is based on appearances? I need to play to get a decent amount of money with a manager who I don't know if he likes me.'"

Following Wenger's exit, Arsenal moved swiftly to appoint Unai Emery as his successor.

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Emery, sacked back in December, quickly set out his stall to make his plans for the club clear, confirming that Wilshere was not in his thoughts.

"I wanted to see who was going to come in and then when Emery did come in I wanted to sit down and have a conversation with him," Wilshere added.

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“He said to me: 'If I was you I would leave, you're not in my starting XI'. He had plans to buy a midfielder, I think he bought [Lucas] Torreira and a few others and I wasn't in his plans. That was the moment when I decided.

“A lot of people who I'd grown up with, the staff, the physios, my friends basically [had left] - it felt like the club was going in a different direction and I decided to leave.

“I was part of Arsenal, it's a massive club and I was a big part of it, it was difficult. It was a sad time to leave and even now I look back and think: 'Yeah, that was a tough time'.”